LEGENDS II - FIRST HARD COVER - SIGNED BY CARD AND MARTIN. SILVERBERG, ROBERT - (EDITED BY) - Featuring - George R.R. Martin, Neil Gaiman, Diana Gabaldon, Terry Brooks, Anne McCaffrey, Tad Williams, Raymond E. Feist, Elzabeth Haydon, Robin Hobb, and Orson Scott Card. NY: Tor, 2003. First Edition. 6 X 9. Hard Cover. Illustrated Bookplate Signed By the Author. Fine / Fine. ISBN: 0345456440 . This copy comes with special book plates signed by George R.R. Martin and Orson Scott Card. Review: Brimming with action and energy, wit and charm, pathos and joy, Silverbergs anthology of short novels from 11 masters of fantasy, six of whom contributed to the original Legends (1998), provides a dazzling display of the genres variety and versatility. Otherland fans will welcome Tad Williamss The Happiest Dead Boy in the World as a chance to visit with an old friend they never thought to see again. George R.R. Martins The Sworn Sword, which continues the story of Dunk and Egg that he began in the first Legends, will also please his readers. All the returning authors more than live up to their reputations, except for Anne McCaffrey, whose Beyond Between, an ill-conceived explanation of what happens when a dragon fails to return from between, strikes the books lone sour note. Yet for all the returnees star power, its the new authors who truly shine here. Elizabeth Haydons entry, Threshold, follows five doomed friends left to guard the remnants of a civilization about to be destroyed in a cataclysm after most of the populace has already fled to a safe haven: a stunning tale of courage and honor, duty and friendship, it may be the books best entry. Robin Hobbs Homecoming, the story of the settlement of the Rain Wild River and one womans journey to independence, is the other contender. Terry Brooks, Diana Gabaldon, Raymond E. Feist, Orson Scott Card, Neil Gaiman and Silverberg round out the all-star cast. -- Publishers Weekly. 656 pp.